It started slowly, whispers creeping through the hallways like a shadow Damien couldn’t shake. Everywhere he turned, he caught the glances—the hushed voices, the accusing eyes. Something had shifted at school. His classmates, the ones who once feared him, now looked at him with a strange blend of disgust and curiosity. The reason, however, was still unknown to him. The rumors floated just out of his reach, like an itch he couldn’t scratch.

By the end of the week, the reason became clear.

“Damien Rook, report to the principal’s office.”

The loudspeaker crackled through the air just as he was packing up to leave for the day. The tone of the voice was different—sharper, more urgent. His heart skipped a beat.

When he entered the principal's office, the atmosphere was heavy, almost suffocating. Several teachers were present, their faces grim and serious. The principal sat at his desk, hands folded, looking at Damien with cold eyes. Damien shifted uneasily in his chair.

“Damien,” the principal began, his voice low and dangerous. “We’ve received information regarding Daniel, the student who was hospitalized.”

A chill ran down Damien’s spine. He hadn’t thought about Daniel since the ceremony prank. Sure, it was a little harsh, but it was just a joke, right? Daniel wasn’t supposed to take it that seriously. He tried to steady his breathing.

“We know it was you,” the principal continued, his gaze piercing into Damien’s soul. “The prank you pulled, the one that publicly humiliated Daniel in front of the entire school, led to his mental breakdown. He’s in the hospital because of you.”

Damien’s mouth went dry. For the first time, real fear gripped his heart. He stammered, “W-What? No, I wasn’t the only one involved. Jake, Mason, and Eth—”

“Enough!” the principal cut him off sharply. “Stop lying.”

Damien’s words died in his throat as the principal turned his laptop toward him, hitting play on a video file. Damien’s blood ran cold as he saw the footage from the ceremony. There he was, in full view of the camera, planting the speaker and playing the audio of Daniel’s private conversation. The shot zoomed in on Damien’s face as he smirked, watching Daniel crumble before the school.

The principal paused the video. “Is this you, Damien Rook?”

Damien’s heart pounded in his chest. He wanted to deny it, to blame his friends, but the evidence was right there. His voice trembled, “Yes, it’s me, but—”

“No more excuses, Damien,” the principal said with disgust. “You were the mastermind behind this. You threatened Ethan to not report you, but he did the right thing. Ethan was the one who provided this video to us. While you were bullying and terrorizing, he had the courage to stand up against you.”

Damien blinked in shock. *Ethan?*

The principal’s voice was like ice. “Your father begged Daniel’s parents not to press charges or file a lawsuit. For that reason alone, we are merely expelling you from the school instead of taking this to the authorities. But make no mistake, Damien. You’re finished here. You are nothing more than a coward and a bully.”

Damien couldn’t process the words. Ethan? The one who had egged him on, who had laughed the hardest at Daniel’s breakdown, was now being praised as a hero?

“I-I’m not lying, Ethan was—”

“Get out of this school, Damien Rook,” the principal interrupted harshly. “And don’t ever come back.”

Stumbling out of the office, Damien felt as though the ground had been ripped from beneath his feet. As he walked through the hallways, the stares burned into his skin. He could feel the whispers now—no longer faint or distant. They were loud, clear, and cutting. *Villain. Bully. Coward.*

By the time he made it to the bathroom, his hands were shaking uncontrollably. He splashed cold water on his face, trying to breathe, trying to figure out what had just happened.

“Hey, buddy.”

Damien froze. That voice.

He turned around slowly to see Ethan standing in the doorway, his usual grin plastered on his face. But it wasn’t friendly. It was cold, mocking. Standing beside him was a kid Damien didn’t recognize at first, his face bruised and swollen.

“Warren, say hi to our pal Damien,” Ethan said, his voice dripping with mock cheerfulness.

Warren looked up at Damien with hatred in his eyes. Damien stared back, confused. “Who the hell is this?”

Ethan chuckled. “Oh, you don’t even remember, do you? This is Warren. You used to bully him, every day. You ruined his life. But don’t worry, I’m here to help him get back at you.”

Damien’s confusion quickly turned to anger. “The hell are you talking about?”

Warren, growled, “You made my life hell! You and your friends!” His face twisted in fury.

Damien took a step forward, ready to punch Ethan, but before he could swing, Ethan moved. With shocking speed, Ethan dodged Damien’s punch and delivered a sharp blow to Damien’s stomach. The air rushed out of Damien’s lungs as he collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath.

Ethan crouched down next to him, his voice low and taunting. “You’re nothing, Damien. You’ve always been nothing. Just a toy for my amusement.”

Damien wheezed, unable to respond. Ethan stood up, looking over at Warren with a smirk. “Didn’t you say Damien used to pee on you when he bullied you?”

Warren looked confused,

“It was Damien,” Ethan interrupted, his smile widening. “Wasn’t it, Warren?”

Warren hesitated, then nodded, “Yeah, it was him.”

Before Damien could register what was happening, Warren unzipped his pants. Damien, still too weak to move, could only watch in horror as the final shred of his dignity was destroyed.

As Warren left with Ethan, their laughter echoed through the empty bathroom.

Damien lay there for what felt like hours, his body numb and his mind reeling. His stomach still ached from Ethan’s punch, but it was nothing compared to the emotional weight crushing him. The laughter from the bathroom echoed in his ears, reverberating in his skull until it drowned out everything else.

"How did it come to this?"

The once untouchable Damien Rook, feared by his peers, now reduced to the school’s outcast, lying on the cold bathroom floor, humiliated in the worst possible way. His throat burned with bile as he coughed, the weight of the betrayal pressing harder than any physical blow.

Slowly, he staggered to his feet. His body trembled, not just from the pain, but from the overwhelming sense of powerlessness that had wrapped itself around him like a vice. He stared at his reflection in the cracked mirror, but the person looking back at him was unrecognizable.

Wiping the sweat and spit from his face, Damien stumbled out of the bathroom. The school hallways were now deserted as the announcement for closing echoed over the intercom. He didn’t bother acknowledging it. He felt empty—completely hollow.

By the time Damien reached the school gates, the streets were dimming under the evening light. He walked in a daze, his mind a blur, his legs on autopilot. He passed the park where he and his friends used to hang out, but now it felt alien to him. The sight of kids laughing and playing seemed surreal—like it was happening in a world far removed from his own.

He crossed the bridge that led toward his apartment, each step heavier than the last. The image of Ethan’s twisted smile, and the humiliation flashed before his eyes like a nightmare he couldn’t wake from. His mind wandered to the bathroom floor, Warren’s warped obedience, and Ethan’s manipulation. It was all playing out in slow motion in his head, again and again.

He couldn't understand it. How could everything collapse so suddenly?

And then the thoughts began creeping in. What if they were right? What if he really was the villain? He couldn’t deny the things he’d done, but Ethan… Ethan was worse. Why couldn’t anyone see it?

*Why does everyone only see me?*

Damien arrived at his apartment building, barely registering the world around him. His face was pale, his eyes blank as he pushed open the door to the cramped apartment.

Inside, the tension was palpable. His mother stood by the sink, her eyes red and puffy as if she’d been crying. His father was pacing in the living room, running his hands through his hair with frustration. The air felt thick with something that Damien couldn’t quite place, but he didn’t have the energy to care.

The moment his father saw him, the atmosphere shifted. His father’s eyes darkened, his jaw clenched. “Damien…” he said through gritted teeth, his voice barely controlled.

Before Damien could react, his father’s hand swung across his face. The slap rang through the small apartment, leaving Damien stunned, his cheek burning.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” his father roared, his voice filled with fury. “You got expelled from school! Do you even know how much trouble we’re in because of you? Your mother and I are already dealing with enough, and now you’ve made things worse!”

His mother, standing in the kitchen doorway, sobbed quietly, unable to meet his eyes. His father continued, his voice growing louder, more desperate.

“We’re already barely holding on, and now you’ve gone and ruined everything!” His father’s voice cracked with anger and shame.

Damien stood frozen, unable to defend himself. He hadn’t realized his father had gotten involved—had begged for mercy on his behalf. The weight of it all hit him like a freight train.

“I should’ve known…” his father muttered, shaking his head. “I should’ve known you were going to end up like this. Useless. You’ve always been a problem, Damien.”

The words stung more than the slap.

“You’re not our son anymore,” his father spat. “I don’t want to see your face again. Get out.”

For a moment, Damien couldn’t move. His legs felt like they were rooted to the spot, his body unable to process what was happening. His mother turned away, unable to speak, her silence a confirmation that his father’s words weren’t just said in anger.

Damien stumbled back toward the door, his vision blurring as he grasped for the doorknob. His father’s last words followed him out into the hallway:

“Don’t ever come back.”

The wind blew cold as Damien walked aimlessly through the darkening streets, his feet carrying him without thought or direction. He found himself on a bridge, the lights of the city below flickering like distant stars. The water beneath him shimmered, reflecting the dim moonlight.

Damien stopped at the railing, his hands gripping the cold metal as he stared down at the water below. His mind was blank, his heart a void. Everything he had—his friends, his reputation, his family—was gone. Torn apart in a matter of days.

The voices in his head wouldn’t stop. Ethan’s mocking words, his father’s angry shouts, the whispers of his classmates—they all blended together into a cacophony of torment. He wanted it to stop. He wanted everything to stop.

He took a deep breath, leaning further over the edge of the bridge.

For the first time, he allowed himself to consider the unthinkable.